Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
If you have not been to Blenheim Palace then add it to your visits this year, as it is a stunning place to go and have a fun day out with all the family and see trees. I recently went on a day out there with a friend for cream tea but got a chance to wander round the amazing grounds again as well as the Palace for the first time. I also got to check out the superb ancient and veteran trees for some bonsai inspiration. They are sculptured by time, weather, wildlife and man giving them so much character and amazing shapes they are a wonder to stand near and marvel at what they have lived through and continue to live through. Despite being there during a severe down pour and getting soaked through it was still great to walk around admiring nature and the living giants of the tree world here in Oxfordshire. So whatever the weather go out and find these ancient trees and see how you could use them to inspire your bonsai creations.
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Birmingham Botanical Gardens
If you are interested in trees then a good place to visit is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, as they host a fabulous collection not only of specimen trees but also the National Bonsai Collection too. It is a good place for bonsai inspiration as well and within the grounds we came across a group planting of Paper Bark Maples (Acer griseum) and you could observe close up the flaky orange bark which is a key characteristic of the species. This was great as we had been able to buy a bonsai version earlier in the day at the Bonsai Boot Sale which was organised by the Friends of the National Bonsai Collection.
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Following on from the Bonsai Boot Sale and FoBBS AGM it was a good opportunity to visit the National Bonsai Collection here at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. It was originally opened in 1993 by Minister Ryuichiro Yamazaki Japanese Consul-General on behalf of the Friends of the National Bonsai Collection and the Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society. It is set within a glorious Japanese Garden and well worth a visit.
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The Bonsai Boot Sale at Birmingham Botanical Gardens was a well attended event today coniciding with the Federation of British Bonsai Societies (FoBBS) Annual General Meeting (AGM). There was a good selection of bonsai on sale of all price ranges and some bargains to be had. There were trees of all sizes from established bonsai to collected material and some funky mame twisted Larch which had to be bought to add to the ever growing collection. Here are some images of the event to show you the selection of trees and other bonsai items on sale. It was good to see so many bonsai friends and have an opportunity to shop for bonsai in a great setting at the botanical gardens.
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Talk about ramification this year, it was excellent on the deciduous bonsai trees at the Swindon Winter Image Show 2017, and seems to get better every year. For all those who attended you got to get up close and personal with the trees to observe the range of techniques used to aid with developing good branch structure and density of twig. The better the ramification the better overall image of the trees and it helps to add to the sense of maturity of the tree too. Here are some of the deciduous trees that were on display.
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This was another good year for viewing Shohin and Mame bonsai at the Swindon Winter Image show 2017, with some fabulous miniature examples of tree species maintained in the smallest forms in the cutest ways possible. Congratulations to everyone who had a Shohin or Mame in the show and also check out some of the superb stands that they were presented on too.
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On March 11 (Saturday) and 12 (Sunday), Lodder Bonsai bv and Hoka-en will hold their annual Open House. They have prepared an interesting programme during these 2 days. Demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday by Hotsumi Terakawa; a bonsai exhibition by the members of bonsai club Shoryukai. Other names present are Rene Lecocq, Henk Fresen, etc. Further we have Japanese crafts as Ikebana, Suiseki, calligraphy, sushi, and lots more. They look forward to welcoming you at their Open House.
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The selection of evergreen bonsai trees at the Swindon Winter Image Show 2017 was great with a wide range of species from Pines to Junipers to Yew and Spruce to name a few. Here are a selection of the evergreen bonsai there on display.
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Here are some of the accents from the Swindon Winter Image Show 2017, and it was fun to see what new ideas and new combinations of plants and pots and bronzes are being used as accents this year.
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Thank you everyone for coming to the 2017 Swindon Winter Image Show, it was a great day with so many wonderful bonsai exhibits to spend time discussing, viewing and admiring. At one point during the show it was standing room only and hopefully everyone who came to the show went away with good memories of the day. From everyone at Swindon and District Bonsai Club thank you again and we look forward to seeing you all again next year. Here are a few images from the day of the show.
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